


The Demons and The Damned

by GoddessofDawn



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Blood and Gore, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Hell, Inspired by Shadowhunters (TV), Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:21:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 23
Words: 21,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24646351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoddessofDawn/pseuds/GoddessofDawn
Summary: A new girl moves to town and Jasper struggles with his control around her and stays away to try and save her soul.But what if she doesn’t have a soul?The Cullen’s learn the hard way that they are not quite at the top of the food chain and there are things far scarier than sparkling veggie vamps lurking in the shadows.“If you think you’re a monster then what does that say about me?”Jasper/OCNote: This is rewrite of my original version under the same title.
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Bella Swan, Jasper Hale/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 29
Kudos: 214
Collections: R's Twilight





	1. Chapter 1

It was strange, the life my brother lived. Of all the places in the world, he had chosen a tiny dismal town right on the edge of the earth. It was perplexing for me to understand his decision and I was still no closer to figuring it out a week later when I stood in the car park, looking at the school building. 

Much like the rest of the town, it was small and just downright appalling. I scowled at it and looked around to see I had a little audience. 

I scowled at them too. 

“Just ignore them,” I turned to the source of the voice and glanced down at the girl besides me. She was short and slim, with long brown hair and matching eyes. I raised a brow at her statement. 

“I was new here a month ago. I get it,” She gave an awkward smile and held out her hand. “I’m Bella by the way, you must be Raven,” I took it, noting that she was slightly surprised by how warm my hand was. 

“Pleasure to meet you,” I drawled. She blushed when she met my eyes and I couldn’t help but smirk. 

She let go of my hand and used her hair to shield her face.

“You have a cool accent, where are you from? England?” She asked, clearing her throat as she slightly stuttered over her words. I decided to be nice and quit staring at her. 

“Something like that,” I murmured as I looked around.

The car park was filling up and our spectators were growing. 

Again, I wondered why my brother chose to live here.

”What lesson do you have?” The brunette asked.

”Calculus whatever the fuck that is,” I muttered, handing her the sheet in my hand.

”Cool, we have it together, I can show you the way.” I nodded at her, gesturing for her to lead the way. 

I met the eyes of some people as we walked and smirked as they shrank back from my stare and looked away blushing.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so boring here.

* * *

My lessons were a joke and had I been here for more than a silly cover up, I would have been concerned for my education. 

I had been mostly left alone by the student body, only Bella really talking to me so far, while the rest watched me from afar like I was some rare zoo animal. And I guess to an extent I was.

But it was more than a little off putting. 

As lunch neared, however, that changed. 

“Hey, you’re Raven right?” A blonde boy came bounding up to me. He was tall and relatively well built with a letterman jacket and a fairly attractive baby face. He fiddled nervously with his backpack strap on his shoulder while I regarded him. 

“Yeah, that’s what they call me,” I smiled and watched as his eyes followed the slow movement of my lips.

“I’m Mike, Mike Newton. I was wondering if you don’t have anywhere to sit, you can join me and my friends. I’ll introduce you,” He scratched the back of his neck as his face tinted pink. 

He was cute. 

I decided to quit messing and just be nice.

I grimaced at my thoughts.

_Okay maybe not nice. Cordial._

“Yeah that’d be nice Mike,” I chirped, trying to sound at last grateful for his kindness. 

“So you’re Mr Black’s sister?” I nodded, scowling at how weird the name sounded. It was a stupid cover story my brother insisted we follow. 

“Yeah I came to live with him after my mum died.” It rolled off my tongue like the practiced lie it was.

”I’m sorry,” he blushed. 

“It’s fine. We weren’t really close.” At least that was a truth. We arrived at the cafeteria and several eyes followed us as I grabbed a tray and stood in the line. 

The smell of oil and heavy fry ups hit me and I scrunched up my nose. 

“The pizza’s really good and so are the fries,” Mike piped up. I nodded and went along with his suggestion. We payed for our food and headed to a relatively large table conveniently placed in the middle of the cafeteria. 

There were several familiar faces already there, one of which was Bella. 

“Guys, this is Raven. Raven, this is Eric, Tyler, Ben, Lauren, Jessica and Angela,” Mike introduced. 

I nodded and sat down, between Mike and Bella. Chatter flowed around me and I answered questions thrown my way with mono syllables, digging into the cheesy pizza. 

Mike was right, it was good.

Suddenly, the cafeteria door opened and seven ungodly beautiful students waltzed in, each more beautiful than the last. I couldn’t help watch along with the other student.

They had unnatural topaz eyes and unearthly beauty as well as endless grace.

”Who are they?” I asked.

”The Cullens,” Bella breathed besides me.

I turned back around in my seat, smiling widely like a loon.

This town was certainly becoming interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

Jessica had been pleased with my question as she let out a squeal of excitement before rattling off very minor detail of the seven students that had walked in. 

“Those are the Cullens. They moved here from Alaska two years ago but they stick to themselves and like don’t talk to anyone which is weird right?” She asked. I needn’t give a response because she carried on gossiping anyways. 

“The big one is Emmett and the blonde one is Rosalie Hale. The other blonde is her twin brother Jasper Hale and he’s dating the weird short one, Alice. They’re all like dating. That’s like, incest,” she grimaced. 

“Jess, they’re not actually related,” Angela corrected. The curly haired gossip just shrugged. 

“And the last one is Edward. He’s single and apparently no one here is good enough.” She sounded miffed and I couldn’t help but snort. 

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” I murmured. She narrowed her eyes at me and I laughed. 

It was funny to me and I didn’t care if they all thought I was weird. 

It was inside thing and I was sad that Colt wasn’t here to laugh with me. 

“What a weirdo,” Lauren muttered. I rolled my eyes at her but turned back to Jessica. She was practically vibrating with excitement to let me in on the gossip surrounding the Cullens. 

“Anyways, they’re all adopted by Dr and Mrs Cullen. I think it’s cause Mrs Cullen can’t have children,” she whispered the last part like it was a dirty secret. I scowled. 

“So?” I asked, tilting my head at her. She blinked at me, seemingly struggling to give an answer. Awkward silence fell over us until Bella leaned into me to whisper in my ear. 

“Don’t look now but someone’s staring at you,” she nodded behind me and I quirked a brow before turning in my seat.

Ignoring Bella’s protests, I caught a golden gaze across the cafeteria, my eyes being glued to Jasper Hale. The intensity of his eyes was startling as they swam with so many emotions, changing too fast for me to even decipher.

I watched fascinated as his eyes darkened by the second, until they were two pitch black pools devouring me and stealing my breath. It was strange, the sudden emotions that overwhelmed me.

Curiosity. Yearning. Lust.

The last one had me clenching my thighs, my lower stomach coiling in anticipation. Still watching the blond across the room, I watched fascinated as his nostrils flared, as if sensing my arousal and his jaw clenched tightly, emphasising just how sharp it was.

As quickly as those feelings came, they vanished and I was almost startled as Jasper abruptly stood up, his chair scraping noisily on the floor as he rushed out the cafeteria.

Like the rest of the students, I watched his departure confusedly. I glanced back at his siblings, surprised to see some of them watching me.

The blonde girl, Rosalie was glaring at me with such hatred that I wondered if she knew who I was. 

The redhead boy was scowling at me, as if I had somehow personally offended him.

The short girl was the only one that seemed remotely warm, giving me a small apologetic smile.

I turned back in my seat wondering just what the fuck happened.


	3. Chapter 3

The bell rang and I, along with several students, begrudgingly got up and trudged towards my next lesson. Unfortunately, I didn’t share this lesson with anyone I knew so I had to make the short trip alone, without the chatter of anyone to distract me from my thoughts.

Thankfully though, I made it to class before I could brood too much.

The class was slowly filling up, most eyes trained on me as I walked up to the teachers desk and handed the obnoxiously pink slip I had been carrying in my hand all day. He mumbled something to himself as he scribble away on the sheet. Meanwhile, I distractedly watched two beefy guys snatch a skinnier boy’s glasses and play catch with it.

”Everyone, meet Raven. She’s our newest student and I want you to welcome her.” I had to refrain from scoffing. “Miss Black, take a seat next to Mr Hale,” 

Once again, I made eye contact with the blond, watching as he tensed up impossibly.

Regardless, I made my way towards the back, plucking the glasses from one of the bullies and returning them to their rightful owner as I passed. No one said anything, for which I was grateful. I took my seat, briefly glancing at the boy besides me.

Actually no, man was a better word.

Up close, his striking features were even more dazzling. He was handsome, extremely so with sharp angular features and a lean muscular build. However, there was something deeper in his topaz eyes that gave away that he was much older than he seemed.

The scars didn’t help either.

Although to any normal eyes they would be almost invisible, I could still see the marred skin peeking out from his collar and sleeves. They were silvery and pale and crescent shaped which were slightly jagged.

Kinda like bite marks.

Catching his eye, I turned away, deciding I didn’t want a repeat of the cafeteria.

I could feel his gaze on the side of my face. I looked back at him and our eyes caught in a deep stare.

”Whoever blinks first loses.”


	4. Chapter 4

Mr Collins slapping thick booklets onto our desk snapped us out of it. Looking down at the thing, I realised it was probably a hundred pages long. 

“Throughout the rest of this half term, we are going to be working on this booklet. There’s a long written piece at the back which contributes 10% to your final grade this semester,” For once I agreed with the groaning students. 

“You can work in pairs but at the end of it, you all get seperate grades,” Mr Collins concluded, ignoring the protests. 

After a moment, everyone settled down and began looking through the contents. I poked and prodded the fat booklet, confirming there were indeed 106 pages. 

“What are you doing?” A deep accented voice asked from besides me. It was smooth and rich, pleasant to the ear and didn’t exactly help with the desire slowly cooling in my stomach. Glancing at the owner of the voice, I grimaced. 

“Wondering if I can summon a devil to do it all for me,” I was only half joking. He raised a brow at me but made no further comment. 

A couple moments of silence passed between us as I looked through the questions, getting more and more confused. Internally I sighed, rethinking my decision to jump back into education head first after so long. 

I considered dropping out for a solid moment before that deep accented voice interrupted my thoughts again. 

“Do you...need help?” He hesitated asking the question. 

“You don’t have to help if you don’t want to,” I said, turning to face him. “I’m pretty much a lost cause really. History isn’t my thing,” I shrugged. He leaned back in his seat, watching me. 

”Okay. What is your thing?” I thought about his question for a second.

“Dunno. Haven’t been in school long enough to figure that out,” I shrugged. “What about you?” I asked. I vaguely wondered why I was so verbal and still talking to this stranger that I was thinking of jumping just moments ago.

“History’s my thing actually. I feel like I’ve lived through it,” for a second, he had this wistful look in his eyes as he gazed at the space in front of him. However, as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared. 

He furrowed his brow, looking confused and glancing at me warily. I guess he too felt weirded out opening out to a stranger. 

It was weird though how at ease I felt around him. There was something dark about him, hiding just beneath the surface of his skin and I could almost hear it rattling to be let out. 

I guess I found some sort of solace in a fellow tortured soul. 


	5. Chapter 5

By the time the bell rang, I was seriously considering dropping this whole charade completely and skipping town. I was halfway through making up a pathetic excuse for my brother in my head when a short pixie of a girl came up to me.

Well not to me, but the blonde boy besides me. She gave him a peck on the cheek as I lazily grabbed my things and greeted me before I could escape. 

“Hey Raven. I guess you’ve met Jasper, my brother. I wanted to officially welcome you to Forks High and Forks in general. I hope you like it so far,” the way she said the last part sounded like a question. 

“Uh thanks,” I replied. Her genuine kindness and sincerity surprised me. 

“What lesson do you have next?” She continued. 

“Gym with Coach Clapp.”

”Oh you have that lesson with my brother Edward. He can be really quiet and a little intense but he’s really nice. You’ll like him,” She smiled brightly. 

I wanted to ask why she cared if I’d like her brother or not but I felt if I encouraged her even further, she’d chat my ear off. 

“Well okay,” I shrugged. 

Her words remained true. As I walked into the sports hall, ten minutes late, several pairs of eyes watched me, one pair being a unique shade of gold. He was standing at the far end of the hall yet I could see him so clearly.

Much like earlier in the canteen, he sported a scowl on his otherwise handsome face and looked to be trying to read my soul. I met his stare head on and quirked a brow at him.

The coach blowing his whistle snapped me out of my staring contest. The overweight balding man waddled over to me, taking the slip that seemed to be glued to my hand.

”Today’s your first day, you can just watch,” he grunted as he scribbled his name. I nodded, moving and taking a seat on the bleachers, my eyes seeking out the golden eyed boy. I found him easily, my eyes taking in the strange shade of his hair. It was a light brown mixed in with coppery strands, giving it a penny like colour.

It was intriguing.

He was also tall and well built, but not as muscular as Emmett or as lean as Jasper. He was slightly more lanky and boyish but still devastatingly handsome.

I frowned.

Who are these people?

I rested my elbows on my knees and my chin in my hands, letting my mind wander as my eyes roamed across the hall. 

The period ended soon enough and I left the hall early, pausing outside to take a deep refreshing breath. Not many students were outside, but a familiar golden eyed bunch hovered near a silver Volvo.

Feeling a cool gust of wind on my neck, I glanced behind me to see the penny boy speed walking, his body tense and hunched. His stormy eyes met mine and he frowned before almost running to his family.

They all got in the car, Alice giving me a soft smile while the penny boy glowered at me.

I caught sight of Jasper, his familiar head of golden curls prominent in the dull place. It stood out amongst the boring browns and yellows of everyone else, somehow shining brightly even in the low lighting of the cloudy sky.

It looked like a perfect halo sitting on his head, highlighting his features. He turned around, probably feeling my gaze and I had the sudden urge to smile at him. His jaw was clenched, his eyes pitch black. 

His face was distinctly murderous and I wondered if I had irritated him more than I thought in history lesson.

He turned away and was muttering something to his sister but before I could guess what, someone walked up besides me.

”Wow, what did you do to him?” A familiar voice asked. Glancing at the brunette besides me, I shrugged.

”I killed his father, he’s recognised me and is plotting vengeance,” He stiffened at my words, turning towards me and I quirked a brow. Bella glanced between us, probably confused by my sarcasm, but I brushed it off.

”See ya tomorrow,” I have her a two fingered salute before walking towards the forest. 


	6. Chapter 6

“How was your first day?” I scowled in response to the question, collapsing onto the sofa instead of answering. I heard chuckling coming from my ‘brother’ and I scowled deeper. He continued.

“I mean, I haven’t heard of any killings or mass murders yet, so I’ll take it you had fun?” He teased. I looked at him with a raised brow.

”It was soul suckingly boring. The only people who are remotely interesting in the slightest are the Cullen’s who literally scream abnormal with their gold eyes and strange vibes,” I explained.

”Yeah they’re a bit weird. I get a different vibe from them too,” Colt added. “But oh well, who are we to judge? You know how it is, small towns attract the weirdos. Look at us two,” he pointed out. I shrugged in response, slouching further into the sofa and leaning my head back to watch the ceiling.

”So what now? I have to go to school everyday and deal with those children?” I asked. I felt him nod as opposed to saw him. “Is this how you live?” I felt him nod again. “Everyday?” He nodded again. “I’m gonna need to go out if I’m gonna last another day,” I declared, standing up.

”How some of those children try my patience, I’m surprised by self restraint,” I muttered, pulling on my leather jacket. It was old and worn and from the 60s but I had grown rather fond of it. “I’ll be back in time for school, don’t follow me,” I gave a nod to my brother and headed out. 

I walked out into the forest, the shadows cloaking me. I closed my eyes before letting myself melt into the darkness.

......

I ended up in the small nearby city of Port Angeles. It was much larger than Forks, and had much more variety, but it was still quiet and peaceful, none of which I was looking for. I sat on the edge of a roof, watching the people of the city go about their daily business.

Finally, when the sun set and the good citizens of the port city were huddled up in their homes, did things get interesting. I hopped from one roof to another, watching a rather shady looking group prowl the dark streets, hunting for something.

I smirked to myself. Little did they know they were being hunted.

They wandered around for a while, clearly intoxicated, disturbing the quiet night with their shouting and cussing, smashing things along the way. I followed them for a while longer until I rewrite bored of them.

They weren’t as exciting as they seemed.

I frowned and huffed, disappointed with how my night was turning out. I wanted something more thrilling, that would be worth my time, but it seemed this town had nothing more to offer than typical drunkards.

Determined to keep hunting, I kept a watchful eye on the streets below, maintaining my high vantage point on the roofs. My ears perked up as I caught muffled cries and shuffling.

Quickly finding the sources of the sounds, I was met with the sight of a young woman pushed up against a wall by a darkly dressed man. He had a gun to her head. 

I grinned.

Perfect.

Silently, I appeared just at the mouth of the alley. He didn’t notice.

”What a ghastly sight! Oh my, just what have I walked into?” I gasped dramatically. He turned to look at me, his green eyes cold and murderous. He pointed the gun at me while still holding the other girl.

“This night keeps getting better, more fun for me,” he sneered, eyeing me up and down.

”Indeed, what a fun night this will be,” I smirked back. His sneer fell off his face for a split second before the anger in his eyes returned.

”You have no idea what you’re getting into Little Girl. You’re going to be screaming when I’m done with you,” he stepped closer, letting go of the girl. She cried before moving away. The guy didn’t seem to care his prey was escaping. He walked even closer to me and the woman took the chance and slipped into a back door into one of the buildings. 

“The things I will do to you, oh I can’t wait to peel off your clothes, and then your skin,” he continued, his crazed eyes distant and no doubt in a sick fantasy.

”Nothing I haven’t heard before Darling. Most disappoint,” I yawned. I took more steps closer to him and the confidence in my steps disarmed him. His hand shook slightly as he pointed the gun at me, looking slightly wary.

”You don’t know me, what I can do. You’re gonna be another poor victim of The Surgeon,” he grinned evilly. I rolled my eyes, quickly appearing before him, startling him.

His finger pressed the trigger and fired. The sound was loud and echoed off the building walls. I watched with immense satisfaction as his confident smirk fell completely and was replaced for one of utter shock and terror. He looked at me horrified before looking at his gun and then looking back at me.

”Enough of this, I’m tired,” I grabbed him by the throat and pushed him hard into the wall, hearing the soft crack of his ribs and back. I held him higher so he could look down into my eyes.

He struggled for a moment, a strangled sound escaping his lips. His hands clawed at mine around his throat and for a moment, I watched him struggle, enjoying the taste of his fear in the air.

Deciding I was done with this, I looked him in the eye. I could see the fight he was putting up slowly leave him as his hands dropped to his side and his eyes remained glued to mine.

His mouth fell open and his dark green eyes began to slowly fade in colour, gradually becoming a light and unseeing grey. My mouth opened as I inhaled it all and I closed my eyes to enjoy the feeling.

I could feel the sudden surge in my power and strength as all tiredness and exhaustion left my body.

His heart hammered under my fingers until it slowed into a faint flutter.

I inhaled one last time and his heart gave out. Dropping him, his body fell to the floor with a thud. His horrified expression was still etched on his face, his cloudy white eyes staring up at me. His mouth was still hung open in a silent scream. His skin was almost as grey as his shirt.

I chuckled down at the corpse, nudging his arm with my boot. After a second of admiring my handiwork, I adjusted my coat and ran a hand through my messy waves, all the while smiling to myself. With a new bounce to my step, I casually made my way out of the city and to my brother.


	7. Chapter 7

Apparently I took too long in returning back to the dismal little town that I had missed two days of school. I didn’t care or mind much, but my brother gave me an earful about how suspicious my disappearance would look to the town folk. 

“Relax, I can say I had the plague or something,” I waved off with a gesture of my hand. 

“No one gets the plague anymore,” he pointed out. He continued ranting about how he had to make excuses for my absences and how I needed to at least have some believable reasons for my disappearances. 

I wasn’t listening to what he was saying, rather watching his face and how his obsidian eyes looked so furious and relieved. 

“Something else bothers you Brother,” he paused his ranting and looked up at me, his dark eyes meeting my light ones. 

“You didn’t call or text or send me a message. Anything could have happened to you Cor-Raven,” I purses my lips at his words, placing my hand on his broad shoulder and squeezing reassuringly.

”I can handle myself Colton,” I stated. 

“I know but after the fight and with the bounty on all our heads-,”

”I handled Father didn’t I?” I asked. His dark eyes darted between mine before he sighed and dropped it. 

“Yes you did,” he murmured. I clenched my jaw and sighed, dropping my hand from his shoulder. My good mood was ruined at the mention of my sperm donor. 

“Look, I know this place means a lot to you and since your kind enough to let me stay, I’ll try live with your rules,” the corner of his mouth twitched into a faint smile. “But please don’t push me about my business. I’ve promised to protect you and I will,” I finished. 

“I understand,” he nodded. 

“Good. Now tell me what exciting news I missed,” I grinned. I flopped into the sofa, watching the TV news. 

“Two nights ago, a body was found in an alley outside of a club in Port Angeles,” the news anchor began.

”Police have identified the body as the notorious killer ‘The Surgeon’ whose known for kidnapping young girls and women and mutilating them,” I perked up at the familiar name. 

“Police think his murder was an act of vigilantism as a ‘dark female figure’ saved what could have been The Surgeon’s next victim,” The woman finished off. It cut to an interview where a puffy eyed brunette sniffled into the mic. 

“She saved me. If it wasn’t for her, God knows where I would be. I dunno who she is but I’m just glad to be back home,” Another woman pulled her into her arms as she began sobbing. 

“Huh,” I said, blinking at the screen. 

“The guy killed someone from Forks. It’s all people are taking about around here,” Colt added, watching as the police gave their report. 

“I just thought he was a bit weird,” I murmured distractedly. 

“Wait, that was you?” Colt asked. I nodded and he laughed. 

“Well that’s funny. People think you’re a vigilante, like Batman or something,” he chuckled. 

“Who?” I asked. He shook his curly head at me. 

“Nothing. You need to get up to date with pop culture and you also need to go back to school,”

“Fuck me,” I groaned.


	8. Chapter 8

“You missed school,”

”Really? I didn’t know,” I deadpanned, voice thick with sarcasm. 

“Did you have fun?” She asked, looking up at me with curious butterscotch eyes. 

“More than you would know,” I smirked to myself. ‘The Surgeon’ wasn’t my only victim and I had a more satisfying hunt. 

“Did you hear about The Surgeon? He’s dead now,” she continued. I still didn’t turn to her.

“Yeah,” I murmured distractedly. Realising the little pixie was still walking by my side, I stopped and turned to her. 

“Is there something you want Alice?” 

“Yes actually. We’re partners for the art project,” she smiled. 

“I don’t even have any lessons with you,” I pointed out, furrowing my brows to recall if indeed the little pixie was present in my lessons. 

“Yes we do. We have art together which you didn’t show for yesterday and we have chemistry together now,” she giggled. 

“Oh okay,” was my only response. 

“We have to work on it outside the lesson. Come to my house this weekend. We could make a sleepover out of it?” She looked at me hopefully and I wondered what the fuck this ‘sleepover’ meant. 

“I have to be honest with you, I don’t sleep much so this sleeping over seems kind of pointless,” I narrowed my eyes at her as she laughed. Granted, her laugh was a pleasant sound, but I failed to see what was so funny. 

“It’s not just sleeping silly. We’ll talk more and can work on homework together and do each other’s hair and nails,” she explained. The whole thing seemed kind of weird and a little sudden given the fact that we didn’t know each other much. Sensing my apprehension, she sobered up. 

“I don’t get along with many people here outside of my family and I feel like you and I have a lot in common, more than you’d think. I just want to make friends with you,” she looked down at her blue ballet flats, suddenly looking unsure of herself. 

“I’ll do it, but people tell me I’m no fun,” I offered her a half smile. She squealed, almost startling me. 

“Oh my gosh, we’re gonna have so much fun, trust me. You’ll get along with everyone and they will all love you,” she hooked her arm through mine and led me down the corridor, all the whole talking about her family members. 

...

”Hey, where were you?” Bella asked, setting her backpack down and taking the seat besides me. 

“Doing some vigilante work and saving the world,” I shrugged. The brunette besides me blinked at me with her wide dark eyes, offering a small chuckle. 

“You missed English yesterday. We’re partners on a project,” 

“What is it with teachers and partners?” I huffed. 

“You tell me. I was thinking of meeting up sometime after school. Get it done with,” I nodded at her suggestion. “Can we meet at your house. My dad is kinda awkward and doesn’t enjoy company that much,”

”Sure, how about tomorrow,” she nodded. The English teacher demanded everyone’s attention and began the lesson. 

Something in my gut churned and I felt like something was gonna happen soon. 


	9. Chapter 9

It seemed I didn’t have to wait long to find out why I was feeling so uneasy. As I walked with Bella across the car park and stopped by her truck to converse with her, the sound of tires screeching loudly and approaching us alarmingly fast confirmed what my gut was telling me. 

I wasn’t particularly worried about myself, but Bella on the other hand would not come out of this accident unscathed without some intervention. So while my head told me to not draw attention to myself, I found my body acting on instinct before I could tell it no.

Just as I reached for Bella, I looked up and made eye contact with the Cullens across the open space, their faces a mix of abject horror and dread.

The red head seemed to be struggling the most as his family were all but restraining him. From what, I wasn’t sure. 

Not dwelling on the matter, I quickly pulled Bella into my body, shielding her with my own. I slid to the floor and held one of my arms out while the other cradled the girl.The car park was suddenly filled with screams and shrieks as everyone realised what was happening too late. 

A loud bang was heard where the large blue vehicle impacted my arm and the side of Bella’s truck. Glass sprinkled on us as defeating silence hung over us all.

With the vehicle stopped, I loosened my grip on the girl to analyse her. Her large doe eyes peered up at me questioningly, seemingly in a shocked daze. Her eyes roamed my face before slowly trailing to my arm which was still pressed against the van, leaving a massive dent in the side. 

Just as she was about to open her mouth and begin asking questions, I shook my head at her, telling her with my eyes what I couldn’t say out loud. Thankfully, the girl was smart and understood, giving me resolute nod that earned a smile from me. 

Our quiet moment was disturbed as the shrieks and screams of our students once again pierced the air. Bella winced, going slack in my arms and shaking.

”Sleep,” I whispered into her ear and with that, she was unconscious. The students had called an ambulance and were attempting to move the van to see if we were alright. I made quick work to remove the dent in the car just as the car was shuffled back and people were peering down at us, firing questions.

“Oh my gosh! Are you both okay?”

”Oh god, is she dead?”

”Don’t move an ambulance is coming,”

And as if to add to all the shrill noise, the ambulance arrived on the scene, sirens blaring loud enough to be heard in the next city over. I ignored them all, waiting for the car to be moved before I stood up carefully, holding Bella in my arms as she slept peacefully.

Thankfully, they all had the decency to move back and give us some space as I placed the sleeping girl on a stretcher and answered all their questions as vaguely as I could.

”Miss, we need to take you to the hospital too,” one paramedic stated.

”I’m fine,” I said, brushing their concern off. Students were beginning to crowd me, staring at me like I was some hero that saved a damsel in distress. I guess to some extent I was but I still didn’t appreciate them watching me like a spectacle in a zoo. So reluctantly, I hoped into the ambulance, sitting at the back with Bella. Another ambulance carried a hellish looking Tyler.

I quickly sent Colt a message, letting him know what happened before I closed my eyes and leaned back in my seat.


	10. Chapter 10

The longer I was kept in the sterile death institution (better known as the hospital), the more murderous my thoughts became. From the over eager nurses and the blinding bright lights, to the stench of disinfectant and disease, I was ready to strangle the next person that asked me if I was okay. 

As if to make matters worse, Tyler wouldn’t stop blubbering besides me about how sorry he was for almost killing Bella and I. Bella was luckily still unconscious, sleeping peacefully, however, I didn’t have that luxury. 

Thankfully, Chief Swan found him equally as annoying and dramatically pulled the curtain shut, effectively silencing the boy.

”Don’t worry Charlie, she’s perfectly fine,” Carlisle reassured, placing his hand on the concerned father’s shoulder.

That was another thing. The only good thing so far out of my hospital visits was meeting Carlisle Cullen, the supposed father of all the golden eyed teens at school. He was handsome, smart and kind, an all round good guy. 

”Thank you Raven, for saving my daughter,” The quiet man spoke gruffly, glancing away from his daughter to look at me. For a moment, I was taken aback by the sincerity and intensity of his dark eyes, but after blinking stupidly at him, I nodded slowly.

”No worries Chief Swan,” I shrugged off. He no doubt saw me as some majestic hero for saving his daughter’s life, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

I was the opposite of a hero. Maybe worse.

At that moment, Bella began stirring, gaining the attention of both men so I took that chance to slip off the bed and leave.

I casually walked out the emergency room, avoiding the waiting room where half the high school population sat, waiting anxiously. Before I could walk any further, I was stopped and interrogated by a furious looking Edward.

I felt my lips curl into an automatic smirk as I regarded his frazzled appearance and his wild eyes. He cared for the girl more than he wanted to admit.

“How did you do it?” He snarled lowly. I was more amused than anything at his dramatic antics.

”Do what?” I drawled, tilting my head innocently.

”Stop the van with your bare hands,” he scowled, growing even more frustrated at my smug smirk.

”How could little old me stop a van with my bare hands Edward? You’re not making much sense,” I tutted. The door behind me moved and judging by the chilling breeze behind me, I knew Daddy Cullen had joined the little conversation.

“Edward, what brings you here, _Son_?” I smirked as he emphasised the word son, clearly a hidden warning behind it.

”Nothing. Just wanted to ask Raven here how she managed to stop the van to save Bella,” He replies through clenched teeth.

”And I was saying to your dear son over here that it’s a stupid question,” I blinked up at him innocently, holding the stare down he initiated. “Tell me Edward, would you be able to stop a moving van just like that?”

His jaw clenched harder as did his fists and Carlisle stepped forward, giving him a pointed look. Edward sighed and gave me one last look before he trudged away defeated and I couldn’t help the gleeful grin on my face.

Ignoring the good doctor, I continued on my way out the hospital, noticing the blond bitch engaging in a heated argument with the little pixie at the end of the corridor.

This hospital was Cullen Central.

Noticing my presence, they both stopped, the smaller girl giving me a tiny smile while the blond one scowled at me. She stormed past me, purposefully bumping her granite shoulder against mine and I smirked even wider when she hissed lowly in pain.

I felt her glare on me as I walked on by, unaffected by her pathetic display of strength continuing the way all the way home. 


	11. Chapter 11

Bella was much more interesting than she looked. She hid her sarcasm and dry humour behind wide eyes and an innocent face. She was also very observant and had noticed a lot of strange things about me and added it to the list of questions she fired at me. That and the obvious abnormality being that I stopped a van with one hand. Even a week later, she hadn’t pointed them out but I knew she knew and she knew that I knew she knew. 

It was a complicated circle but exciting none the less. 

“Take a left here,” I interrupted our conversation by pointing at the narrow road easily missed by so many. After pointing to another narrow turn, Bella’s monstrosity of a truck pulled up at my house. 

Well it was more of a cabin than a house. It was two bedrooms, two bathrooms, enough for Colt and I. 

“You know when I pictured where you live, I always assumed it was under a bridge or something,” Bella commented. 

It was a running joke between us that I was a homeless since I dressed as such, when in truth I mostly wore Colt’s outdated clothes.

Today was no different.   
  
I wore some old jeans from the 70s that were slightly flared at the bottom, an oversized hoodie with a random university logo on it with my old leather jacket.

I wasn’t one to keep up with fashion since I didn’t see the point in it. It was always changing and it seemed most of the Forks population agreed with me since their choice in clothes were similar to my own.

Colt opened the door, smiling politely at Bella as we stepped in. “Bella this is my brother Colt,” 

“Hey,” she greeted awkwardly. I rolled my eyes at her as Colt gave a similar response. They were so similar. Thankfully their shyness seemed to die down the longer she spent with us.

We talked about anything and everything, quickly dismissing the project we were working on to take a break. The conversation quickly turned to the Cullens.

“I wonder what their deal is,” Bella mused, laying on my bed, staring up at the ceiling.

”Do what?” I asked, picking a random thread I found in her hair as I sat next to her head. I was still amazed at how comfortable I was around her.

“Treat everyone like trash,” I didn’t question what she meant because she continued. “Edward’s been avoiding me and acting like I smell and have some kind of disease,” she frowned.

”He has issues,” I stated. Bella was by far one of the best smelling humans I had smelt so far. Her fruity scent was quite strong and it made me wonder.

She was a silent person and she only showed what she allowed people to see. Her mind intrigued me because not many people had what she had. I liked to think that’s what made her scent so powerful.

”I heard you got invited to their house,” She peeked up at me through her lashes and I shrugged.

”Yeah Alice and I are art partners,”

”You’ll be making history you know. The first non Cullen to step into their den,” she smirked. I pulled on her hair and she slapped my hand away with a mischievous look.

“So you and Jasper then?” She wriggled her brows at me. I raised my brow at her.

”Don’t think I didn’t see you staring at him. You must like him to be making those eyes already,” she smirked.

I rolled my eyes at her but mulled her words.

”I find him intriguing. There’s something sinister about him and I’m quite curious,” I admitted.

Bella sat up and stared at me for a moment, and I could hear the cogs in her head turning. After a moment, she flopped back down on my bed, returning to staring at the ceiling.

“I agree,” she spoke up after another Monet of silence. “There’s something off about them,”   
  
I wanted to correct her but I refrained. 

She was right, there was something off about them all and to her and everyone else, they were all so sister. But I was talking specifically about Jasper. 

His scars, his militaristic posture, his analytical eyes, they all stood out from the rest of his siblings. He clearly had a dark past that was strangely making me so obsessed and curious.

I shook myself from my thoughts. I wouldn’t tell Bella, because it wasn’t my secret to reveal and I wasn’t being so honest with her myself.

”Let’s get this stupid project done,” she spoke, sitting up once again. 

With that, the topic of the Cullens seized as Bronte’s work quickly dispelled all dark thoughts.


	12. Chapter 12

The week had ended and the weekend quickly approached. As promised, I had grabbed some extra clothes and some toiletries to last me my one night stay at the Cullen household. Bella had told me to keep 911 on speed dial, just in case the Cullens tried anything funny, to which I responded they wouldn’t stand a chance against me. 

That was another thing, Bella had given up trying to guess what I was since I refused to tell her directly. She had seen my fangs and my claws and after guessing the usual vampire/werewolf crap, she had given up in favour of doing some good old research. 

I personally didn’t mind and enjoyed entertaining her. She was the first person in a while that I came across to be so I afraid of typical household monsters. 

Anyways, as I grabbed my old satchel full of supplies, I trekked through the rain to the other side of the forest where the Cullen residence was safely nestled between the trees. The cold rain and harsh wind did wonders for my mood and helped me prepare mentally for the next 48 hours. 

As I trudged up the porch steps, a stunning woman opened the door, her caramel eyes screaming concern. The poor woman looked horrified at my appearance and it took me a while to realise I must have resembled a drowned rat walking in the rain for miles. 

”Oh dear, come in before you get a cold, let me grab you a towel real quick,” she fussed about me like a mother hen and I found myself sucking up her attention like the affection starved woman I was. 

”It’s not as bad as it looks. The weathers perfect for calming the mind,” I assured the woman, who introduced herself as Esme. As if to contradict my statement, a loud crack of thunder was heard as the wind blew the trees noisily. 

”If you ever need a ride, my children will be sure to give you a lift. Just ask Alice or I and we’ll arrange it,” she fussed, rubbing a large towel over my head after peeling my jacket off.

Alice chose that moment to slip down the grand staircase, giggling at the scene unfolding before her. Of course the little pixie held a pile of clothes in her hand too. 

”Raven, you’re impossible,” I wasn’t sure what she meant, so I just gave the shorter girl a confused look.

”Come on, you can use my shower to warm up,” I wordlessly followed the girl as she grabbed my arm and dragged me up stairs. I took a moment to admire the interior of the house as we walked, stopping inside a peach coloured room. 

The space was soft and girly, tastefully decorated with pastel accents.

”Come on. You take a shower while Esme prepares some snacks. We need to give you a makeover,” she squealed, clapping her hands. She pushed me into an en suit bathroom while talking to herself, before leaving. 

I stripped of my wet clothes and took a cold shower, the icy water calming my burning skin and my tense muscles. I didn’t spend too long in there so after scrubbing myself in vanilla scented products, I stepped out the shower and dried myself.

I slipped on the bright pink shorts and the white tank top, the materials clinging to my body and exposing more skin that I was used to. While it wasn’t something I would have ever chosen for myself, it did look good on me as it emphasised my athletic figure and lean body. 

I left my hair down to dry on its own after combing through it. The dark grey strands were twisting in their natural loose curls down my back.

”Come on Raven, your nails aren’t going to paint themselves,” I rolled my eyes at Alice through the door before stepping out into her room. 

She was sitting at her dresser, an assortment of nail products laying before her. She eyed my outfit for a moment before nodding to herself. 

”We need to go shopping tomorrow. You seriously need to buy better fitting clothes,” She patted the seat besides her which I took without question. She grabbed my hand and inspected it before pulling out some red and orange colours.

She quickly got to work and began painting my nails while she chattered, focusing on the task before her. I listened to her ramblings, humming and nodding at appropriate times while my mind wandered. I couldn’t remember the last time I let anyone so close to me before. 

It made a deep part of me ache knowing that I’d never had this before. This kind of comfortable friendship where you can paint each other nails and sit so close together. 

Although I didn’t know the young Alice very long, I could see myself growing closer with her and becoming even more comfortable.

For the first time in a very long time, I felt hope spark inside me, soon bubbling into excitement. 


	13. Chapter 13

Painting each other’s nails was only the first step of teenage bonding. It seemed brushing and braiding each other’s hair was also a rite of passage which, once completed, would initiate the true beginning of not only the slumber party, but also an unbreakable friendship. 

At least, that’s how Alice explained it. 

“Your hair’s such a unique colour,” she marvelled as she expertly manipulated the strands into a neat Dutch braid down my back. My hair was a smokey dark grey with a few silver strands twisting in it which gave it a metallic shine. Contrary to popular belief, it was all natural and often, a shining beacon and a dead give away as to what I was.

”Let me do yours,” I swapped our positions so that her back faced me. I brushed through her silky strands, somehow enjoying the simplicity of the action. I decided give her hair a nice side braid that would suit her short and dark hair. Once I was done, she held up a hand mirror to inspect my work and she squealed.

”Oh my gosh I love it! I need to do braids more often,” she twisted her head in different directions to marvel at her perfect reflection. It wasn’t anything too intricate, just something beautiful a Viking woman once taught me.

“Come on, let’s go eat. You must be hungry,” I didn’t correct her but instead let her lead me downstairs and into an impressive kitchen. Esme was wearing an apron over her formal dress, looking every bit the perfect upperclass housewife. She had several dishes of food spread across the kitchen island. 

”I wasn’t sure what you liked so I made a little bit of everything,” she explained. 

”You really didn’t have to Mrs Cullen,” She brushed me off with a small smile. 

”Nonsense. Please, call me Esme,” And with that, she left Alice and I in the kitchen. I took the middle barstool and began eating from the nearest plate, which was some kind of pasta dish I was unable to name. 

It was quite delicious so I found myself moving into the second plate, which consisted of some kind of chicken broth. It was warm and spicy which felt pleasant going down my throat. 

”I’ll be back in a bit. Don’t move,” I barely acknowledged Alice as I focused on my fourth dish. It was some prawns mixed with some rice and the texture was quite interesting. 

The last dish consisted of mainly greens and some type of fish which finished off the buffet nicely. Needless to say, I enjoyed that a lot more than I thought I would. 

”You must have been hungry,” I swivelled on my barstool to face the intruder, my eyes roaming over the blonde Cullen. 

”A little,” I shrugged as I appraised the way his jeans and dark shirt clung to his frame. His eyes roamed over me and I felt his eyes leave a buzzing trail where they gazed over my exposed flesh.

”I didn’t take you for a tattoo girl,” he smirked. The shorts and the tank top had left the skin on my thighs and arms visible, where black smoky tattoos danced across my skin. They were thin and wispy, with two trailing gently over each arm and one large swirly design on my right thigh. 

“I have more,” I replied. The largest one was on my back, concealed by the fabric of my top and I had some more that I kept hidden. He quirked a brow at my confession, sauntering further into the room. He stopped on the opposite side of the kitchen island and I swivelled on the chair to continue watching him.

He leaned down on the counter on his forearms, his gaze just as steady on me in return. It was strange. I felt as though I was in some sort of trance, lost in burning amber.

Something shimmering caught my eye and I broke our eye contact to look down at the exposed skin of his arms. He had his shirt rolled up, revealing those crescent shaped marks on his otherwise flawless skin.

They bared a striking resemblance to bite marks. I wonder what he did to have so many of them. The skin was raised and slightly jagged, shimmering dully in the fluorescent light.

Without thinking, my hand reached out to touch his arm, my fingers tracing a particularly large mark. His skin was cold and marble like, which I expected, but also soft and warm.

It was difficult to explain the sensation, but there was this slight undercurrent of electricity, like raw energy humming from where his skin touched mine.

I looked back up at him, noting how his face lost all playfulness. Instead, his eyes had darkened significantly and were watching me with an almost frightening intensity. Not wanting to do anything silly, I withdrew my hand, instantly missing the contact.

I was suddenly hit with a wave of conflicting emotions, ones that I was sure that didn’t belong to me. Before I could say anything, little Alice skipped into the kitchen, almost pulling me out of my chair.

”Sorry to break up the party, but we aren’t done with our sleepover,” She giggled. She gave Jasper a pointed look when she thought I wasn’t looking, who in turn clenched his jaw and stalked out the room.

The small girl dragged me back to her room with an iron grip, seemingly vibrating and bubbling with excitement. Once we returned back to her room, she sat me down on her bed, sitting opposite me with a large grin.

”So...?” She dragged out the word, saying it in a questioning matter, as if I automatically knew what she was talking about.

”So what? I’m not a mind reader,” She giggled at that, like it was an inside joke she thought I wasn’t privy to. I just waited till she asked me directly what she wanted. 

“What was that between you and Jasper?” She asked the question with a wicked gleam in her eyes. 

“A simple human interaction,” I replied evenly. I wasn’t sure why she was thinking so deeply about such a short moment.

”I saw the way you were looking at each other,” I didn’t reply to her words, not seeing that a response was needed. “I promise I won’t tell, you can be honest with me. Do you like him?”

I deliberated her words, choosing my own very carefully and phrasing it right. 

“I don’t know him well enough to assume it’s anything but simple physical attraction,” She eyed me for a moment, seemingly displeased with my response. I didn’t like the way she seemed to be scheming so I changed the topic. 

“I think it would be best we work on the project,”


	14. Chapter 14

We finished the school project in relative silence. Alice was lost in thought and I didn’t feel the need to make any conversation. I retired later that night to the guest bedroom where I laid in the bed, eyes closed. 

Truth be told, I wasn’t tired enough to sleep well and I knew if I let my body shut down, the monsters that lived on my head would come out to play.

It wasn’t something I wanted to risk in the Cullen household. 

My breathing was evened out and my heartbeat slowed down even further. I counted each beat, the organ in my chest pumping way too slow for a human. I slowly felt my body relax, my muscles going lax against the soft mattress and my face losing the almost permanent frown. 

I could hear the patrons of the house dotted around the space. Carlisle had returned at some point and was holed up in his study, Esme was somewhere in the living room looking at building plans. Emmett and Rosalie were both missing, somewhere in the forest doing what they usually do.

I grimaced slightly at the thought. 

Edward was also away, and I didn’t need to guess where he was or what he was doing. I smirked to myself, knowing I had told Bella to lock her windows before I left. 

I could hear Alice next door, rummaging through her closet, no doubt wearing her adorable confused expression that she had on earlier. 

Jasper was the hardest to locate. He was on the floor beneath me, silent and unmoving. I couldn’t hear anything and the only reason I knew he was there at all was because of his signature. 

Quickly growing bored, I decided to contact Colt and see what he was up to. 

‘ _Everything okay? Did someone die?_ ’ He asked. I watched through his eyes as he stared at the tv screen, watching a mediocre sitcom and drinking an awful alcoholic beverage. 

‘ _No, I’m just bored, pretending to sleep_ ,’ I replied. He snorted. 

‘ _Since when did you start hiding?_ ’ I scoffed at him in return. 

‘ _Since you became anal about maintaining a human image_ ,’ I watched him glance down at himself, frowning at his beer belly and vaguely touching his greying hair. 

‘ _I’m growing bored of this_ ,’ he muttered, suddenly feeling dissatisfied with the way he looked. 

‘ _I’m not going to change my image. I’ll have to leave after a while_ ,’ I mused. He grunted in response, distracted once again by the tv though I knew his mind was elsewhere. Someone moving caught my attention so I said my goodbyes to Colt before focusing back on my surroundings.

The door to the bedroom opened and I laid still, maintaining the false pretence of sleep. I fought the urge to furrow my brow when I realised it was Jasper. 

His aura was different. Normally he had a more mellow and almost relaxed aura about him. It would automatically wash over anyone near him, making them more relaxed in his presence. 

But this one was the complete opposite. 

This one was dark and thick, like smoke, reeking of dominance. This one would automatically instil fear and terror into the being unfortunate enough to cross his path. 

It was simply too strong for me to ignore so I sat up in my bed.

It was clear he wasn’t expecting me to be awake and so suddenly no less, judging by the way his brow furrowed slightly and his eyes widened by the tiniest fraction. Otherwise, his face was completely unreadable and impassive. 

His eyes were pitch black, darker than anything I’d seen before. His jaw was clenched and his posture rigid and stiff. He had his arms clasped behind his back, shoulders straight as he regarded me with his onyx eyes.

I wasn’t sure what to feel at this sudden and random confrontation. 

Despite the confusing swirl of emotions, I was more intrigued than anything. I was sure that this was what he had been hiding. It was the part of him that he kept hidden from everyone and chained. 

“Is there any particular reason you’re visiting me at such an ungodly hour?” I asked, keeping my tone light. A quick glance at the clock on the wall above him revealed it was closer to three in the morning. 

He didn’t reply, only continued to stare at me, his head titling ever so slightly to the left. I didn’t break our eye contact, I was more than fine with just sitting in the heavy silence and letting him assess me. 

After a moment more of silence, he stalked slowly towards me, watching my reaction. I gave him none and he sat on the side of the bed besides me. He sat closer than I thought he would, leaning down so his face was only inches from mine. 

“You don’t fear me,” he murmured. His voice was lower and rougher than normal, sounding more like a growl than anything. It was quite pleasant to hear. 

“Should I be?” I quirked a brow at him. He didn’t answer immediately, instead, letting his eyes wander over my face. He brought up his hand, using the backs of his knuckle and brushing it across my cheek. With the way he was looking at me and tilting his head down, I couldn’t help let my mind flash somewhere else. 

“Yes,” I blinked, realising he was answering my question. I sighed, pushing away those thoughts. I grabbed his hand, pulling it away from my face, though I didn’t let go of it, instead holding it in my lap. 

“I should be saying that to you Jasper,” I murmured, looking away. 

“My name’s not Jasper,” I looked back at him, a little surprised.

”Major,” Was all he said in explanation. I nodded. 

“Well Major, I don’t think you’re giving me enough credit,” I frowned. 

He eyed me for a moment again. We sat in silence once again, just eyeing each other. His other hand raised to cup my face and I tried to hold in the small content sigh that escaped my lips at the contact. 

Touching him was electrifying and I was quickly becoming addicted. 

His next move admittedly surprised me, but in the nicest way possible. I could usually predict the moves of other people but I didn’t see this one coming. 

His lips pressed firmly against mine and he moved both of his hands to cup my head and face, holding me still. The kiss wasn’t soft or sweet filling me with butterflies, but rather it was hot and burning, filling me with an all consuming fire. 

He pulled away just as abruptly as leaned in, leaving me slightly confused. I looked at him, noticing how his eyes had returned to their tawny colour and he looked horrified. 

I couldn’t deny the hurt I felt at how much he looked to be regretting that kiss. 

I quickly squished down my feelings, refusing to open that can of worms ever again. 

“Raven, I’m so sorry I-,” He grimaced, skating his head. He stood up and disappeared before I could even get a word out. 

I sighed out loud, getting up and heading towards Alice’s room. I didn’t bother knocking since she could probably hear me coming anyways. 

She sat on her bed expectantly, giving me a sort of lopsided pity smile as she held out a neatly folded pile of clothes. 

“I’m sorry this didn’t go as I planned. I hope we can still be friends,” Her large amber eyes looked sad, probably knowing how unlikely that was going to be. Once again, I was strongly contemplating leaving this insignificant town. I don’t know how much longer I could maintain this lie. 

I opted to give the smaller girl an unsure smile, not bothering to make false promises. 

“Me too Alice,” And I meant it. I enjoyed all our moments together and I had never had many friends. I could never forget her. 

I took my clothes and silently dressed, heading downstairs where Esme waited for me with Carlisle besides her this time. 

“Thank you for welcoming me into your home,” I didn’t say anything else as I stepped outside the house, glad they didn’t make it anymore awkward than it was. 

I headed directly into the forest, letting the darkness consume me before I arrived at Colt’s place.


	15. Chapter 15

I spent the Sunday holed up in my bedroom. I didn’t do anything really. Just stood by the window and contemplated life, something I found myself doing more often lately. Unfortunately, the forest view from my window didn’t hold the answers to my existential crisis and before I knew it, Monday morning had rolled around and I had to return to the hell hole to continue selling my lie.

A knock on my door surprised me and I heard my brother shuffle towards the door and open it. I was making my way downstairs in time to see Bella standing outside, her face looking flushed and her eyes bright. 

“Hey Raven, wanna ride with me to school?” She gave me an awkward smile, glancing at my brother. I shrugged, nodding and gesturing for her to lead the way. Once I jumped into the orange truck and the roaring beast left the property, the brunette besides me awkwardly cleared her throat. 

“So I still haven’t figured out what you are, but I know what the Cullen’s are,” she began, her voice wavering slightly with uncertainty. I just smirked at her, suddenly excited at the potential drama this would cause. Especially with Edward. 

“Go on,” I urged. She cleared her throat. 

“They’re vampires. I found out from the legends on the Res,” She explained. 

“And now what are you gonna do with this information?” I asked. Bella was a smart girl, I was sure she wouldn’t go around telling everyone. 

“So I’m right?” She asked, looking away from the road to give me a surprised look. 

“Yeah,” She nodded to herself, looking contemplative. 

“I’m going to confront Edward. Tell him what I know. Maybe then he’d stop avoiding me,” I chuckled, barely refraining from telling her that they were both as infatuated with each other.

”What about you?” She asked, pulling into the school grounds. I spotted the usual silver Volvo not too far away, it’s owners standing by it, idly chatting. 

“What about me?” I asked, turning back to the girl besides me. 

“Will you tell them what you know?” I glanced back outside, noting how a certain blond was absent. My eyes roamed over the rest of them, Alice turning her head and catching my eye. She gave me that same smile she gave me a day ago, a sad one full of resignation and disappointment. 

I wanted to know why caused such a jovial girl to feel so down, and I could if I wanted to, but I refrained. Whatever it was, it was making a small tiny part of me stir and I didn’t like it, not one bit. 

“No I won’t. There’s no need,” I finally answered. I stepped out the truck, waiting for the human girl to join me as she walked around the car. 

“Why not?” She looked genuinely concerned. 

“I don’t plan on staying any longer,” I shrugged. Her eyes widened and she looked confused.

”Why? Where are you going?” I watched the girl for a moment, debating on what I should tell her or if I should tell her at all. 

“Maybe if you figured out my secret, you’d know where I would be going?” I smirked, deciding to tease her instead. She huffed, playfully nudging me. 

“Well, who else am I supposed to gossip with and conspire with?” She teased back, though I could see the worry in her eyes. The human girl struggled to make any meaningful connections and she saw me as a friend. I enjoyed her company too. 

Wrapping my arm around her shoulders, I side hugged the shorter girl. 

“Nah, for you I’ll stick around,” I wasn’t sure where this came from, but I found myself agreeing to stay just a little longer, for Bella’s sake.

The bell went off, signalling it was time to make our way towards lessons. We walked across the car park, engaged in light conversation. 

It was at that moment that we joked at the expense of Mike Newton that I failed to notice Alice freezing on the spot and her eyes glazing over. 

If I had paid attention, maybe then I would have prepared for the visitors that would appear in my home later that day. 


	16. Chapter 16

That day, as I left the school, I couldn’t help but feel as if I was being watched. As I walked on the barren road alongside the forest, I was sure I caught flashes of white in the trees. 

I brushed it off and continued walking. It was silent and empty, making the voices in my head louder. My headache was slowly getting worse and I huffed.

I would need to sleep soon too. 

Instead of heading home, I made my way deeper into the forest. The smell of pine and wet leaves was oddly comforting. I wandered around aimlessly, venturing further into the trees when I saw another flash of white pass by me.

I smirked and slowly turned around, coming face to face with a troubled Jasper. 

He stood a couple of feet away, his hands clenched by his sides, his chest moving rapidly like he was heaving.

I took a moment to appreciate the way his dark jeans and black jumper hugged his figure and emphasised his muscles.

“Well howdy partner. Long time no see,” I teased, hoping to diffuse some of the tension from that night. His expression looked pained and his smile forced. The longer I watched him, the more I realised how much he was fighting himself.

“You shouldn’t be out here on your own. It’s not safe,” I narrowed my eyes at him, my smirk leaving my face.

“What makes you say that Jasper?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.

I could almost hear himself war with his thoughts and I was dying to know what he was holding back. I don’t know why I was so obsessed with him all of a sudden but I was. I wanted to see the other side of him he was trying so hard to hide once again.

”There are things that roam the forest,” he began. I thought he’d continue, but he remained silent, observing me. I walked closer to him, watching as he clenched his hands even harder, veins and muscles bulging.

I stopped until I was less than a foot away from him. His scent filled my lungs and my hand automatically reached out to touch him.

I wasn’t really in control at that moment, my body seemingly operating without consent. I rested my hand on his chest, where his heartbeat should be.

My eyes were sucked into his, drowning in the raw emotions swimming in his light whiskey orbs. I could feel he was hurting and that something was eating away at him.

”You don’t have to hide from me Jasper,” I whispered. He looked down, breaking eye contact, his lips twisted into a frown. 

I moved my hand from his unmoving chest to his face, cupping his cheek. I marvelled at how his icy skin contrasted with my burning one, how his alabaster skin stood out against my tan hand.

He looked back up at me and I felt my chest fill with an unfamiliar feeling at the look he was giving me.

”I’m a coward, and I’m so sorry,” he choked. Before I could protest, he vanished before me just like that night at his house, the slight swishing of my hair being the only sign he had been there.

I stood there for a while, my mind racing at the strange interaction. I was in a sort of daze as I slowly continued my way home. Colt was away when I arrived so I just dragged myself upstairs to my bedroom.

I kicked off my shoes and my jacket. I chose a large shirt and some loose flannel pyjama bottoms to sleep in, heading for a quick shower.

The whole time I operated on autopilot, my mind wandering back to Jasper. I don’t know why I was worrying about him. I hardly knew him. My obsession with him wasn’t normal.

I scoffed at my thoughts. Nothing about me was normal. With a sigh, I dried and dressed myself, trudging to my bed. I slowly slipped under the covers, willing my thoughts to silence as my body slowly succumbed to sleep.

Hopefully, some sleep would do my my mind wonders and I wouldn’t be in this constant state of confusion.


	17. Chapter 17

I was overwhelmed by this sudden feeling that something was terribly wrong. It startled me out of my sleep and I sat up in my bed, looking around my room.

Colt was still not home, but someone else was definitely here. I turned to the side and made eye contact with the person I least expected. 

“Rosalie, what the fuck are you doing in my room?” I mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. She hissed at me, stepping forward from the shadows, her eyes narrowed into slits. 

“You’ve ruined everything! You just had to open your stupid mouth. I knew letting you into our home was a mistake,” She growled. 

Before I could ask what she meant, she continued with her little monologue.

”I’m doing this to save our family. We’re not going to move again after we settled down and there is only one other alternative. I just hope for your sake that I make it quick,” She smirked.

I was too surprised to move and before I knew it, she had her perfect hand wrapped tightly around my throat, pinning me onto the headboard.

Her beautiful face was twisted into an evil sneer and slowly did I realise she was trying to kill me.

I felt her confusion as to why I wasn’t choking and I used it to my advantage, pulling her off of me and throwing her across the room. She crashed into the wall, leaving a massive indentation on the wall.

She roared, charging at me and I let out a vicious snarl, spinning out of the way too quick for her and using her momentum to throw her at the window.

The glass easily smashed and she fell out of it and landed with a large thud, creating a little crater on the ground from the force. I could see Emmett rush to her and I felt my anger boil through me. What was going on here? The Cullen’s were after me?

I jumped out the window, easily landing on my feet in a crouch. My eyes zoned onto her as she got up, roaring before charging at me again.

She was not a skilled fighter and I easily had her on her back, straddling her legs and locking them with mine. My hands were wrapped around her throat, squeezing until I could see the cracks forming on her face.

Just as I was about to pull off her head completely, a large weight crashed into my side and I quickly rolled out from under Emmett’s crushing weight.

He was a lot stronger than Rosalie, but not strong enough. Before he could grab me, I twisted around him, pulling his arm with me. It came off with a loud screeching sound and he yelled out in pain.

I threw him as hard as I could and he flew through the air, hitting the front of the cabin and smashing through the walls like they were made of nothing.

Rosalie jumped on me from behind, trying to claw at my throat but I easily threw her off me, letting her join her boyfriend in the pile of broken wood and metal that was once Colt’s cabin.

My hands shook and all I could see was red. My hands burned and I growled at the two as they stood back up, ready to fight. I wasn’t going to hold back anymore. I was ready to tear off heads.


	18. Chapter 18

The Cullens sat around their home, all tense and anxious. They were waiting for Rosalie and Emmett to return from their little mission. They were doing what the rest of them were too afraid to do. 

Carlisle sighed. He didn’t want it to come down to this, but he realised that he had to protect his family at all costs. It was either the girl die or his whole family and the girl die at the hands of the Volturi. 

Jasper has locked himself in his study, too upset to move. He was mourning the loss of his one and only chance at happiness. He was too much of a coward to fight his family.   
  
Death would be a mercy compared to living an eternity with him. He didn’t want to doom her to become a monster. He wasn’t even sure he could be loved. 

A heavy feeling settled in his chest, making breathing difficult. He decided to make himself useful to distract himself. He headed downstairs, turning to Alice and Edward, the former frowning as her eyes glazed over. 

They should have been back by now and they were worried something went wrong.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jasper caught something hurdling through the air, heading straight for the glass wall.

It smashed through the glass, sending shards flying everywhere and spilling into the living room. They all looked at what landed in their room with shock, realising with growing horror it was Emmett’s arm.

Not even a second later, Emmett’s body came crashing in through, breaking more o the glass wall with his body. He landed in a slump not too far from his detached arm, several cracks on his face and neck.

Rosalie was next to crash through the wall, her limbs all attached but not much better than Emmett. They both groaned, slowly sitting up and Esme and Alice rushed towards them.

The rest of them stood on guard, looking into the darkness of the forest for the threat. Jasper was first to spot her. His breath hitched in his throat.

She was walking towards them with long determined steps. Her body was tensed, rolling with anger he could feel even without his power, but it was her eyes that had them all falter.

Her eyes were glowing such a bright and fiery red and orange, the colour engulfing all of her eyes, making the iris and the sclera indistinguishable. The colours reminded him of fire as it danced like a roaring flame.

The look she was giving them all was downright murderous.

“You tried to kill me!” She shrieked, her voice sounding incredulous as it carried over the space easily. “I left you alone. I didn’t do anything to you!” She yelled. She stopped walking once she stood in their back garden.

”I’m sorry, this is just a huge misunderstanding-,” Those were the wrong words. She growled loudly at Carlisle, baring large canines and he winced.

“Misunderstanding? You sent those two to kill me right Carlisle?” She hissed his name. He hesitated.

“Well technically yes-,” she interrupted him with a loud snarl.

“Well then, come finish what you started,” she growled. She took a threatening step forward, long sharp claws extended.

”Now I don’t want to fight,” Carlisle began, stepping forward with his hands raised before him.

She scoffed but continued towards them. Jasper could tell that no words would get to her anymore. He was conflicted at what to do. His warring thought had him rooted to the spot.

Before she could take another step forward, a man he recognised vaguely as her brother appeared out of the forest, looking panicked.

”Raven stop!” He yelled, grabbing her shoulder. She roughly shrugged him off, the motion sending him stumbling.

”No Raven you can’t kill them!” She didn’t listen to him, her vision laser focused on the three males before her. They crouched down defensively, preparing for her attack. Again, Jasper was torn. There was no doubt that she would kill them all. 

Her brother muttered under his breath, something that sounded like a chant. Before the Cullen’s could decipher what language he was speaking, a dark shadowy substance seemed to be coming out of his hands. He held his hands out before him and two dark balls shot out of his hands and hit Raven in the chest.

It hit her back, the force making her stumble. The shadows dancing around her distracted her for a moment, making her falter in her steps and Jasper took the opportunity to push as much calm and lethargy as he physically could at her.

She hissed and growled, her eyes still glowing and her claws still extended. She fought the effects of the combined powers, turning to her brother with a betrayed look.

“They tried killing me, for no reason and you decide to turn against me?” Her anger quickly diverted from the Cullens and to her brother. Surprisingly, Jasper felt his power being reflected back at him making him stumble a little. Raven’s anger quickly began rising once again, and this time he doubted anything could distract her from a fight.

Sensing this quickly, Colt approached her slowly, laying his hands gently on her arms.

”I would never do that Ray,” he whispered. They held eye contact with each other for a moment, silently communicating before she snarled, her shoulders squaring.

”You’d do well to not interfere then,” And with that, her own black most hit her brother in the chest, hers sending him flying into the trees. He coughed but didn’t get up, the Cullen’s glancing at each other before returning to their defensive positions.

Just as she took two threatening steps forward, Alice came running through the house, carrying a very startled human.

”Wait!” Jasper watched alarmed as the human Edward had been so obsessed with ran towards Raven, right into the line of fire. 

“Bella what are you doing?” Edward yelled, about to head towards her and take her away from the danger. Alice restraining him only made him angrier and Jasper would have had a headache by now from all the confusing and intense emotions going around.

”No Edward, let me do this,” She yelled back. The human girl turned back to Raven, whose eyes were still burning, making it hard to tell who she was looking at. 

“Raven don’t do this. It’s all my fault and I’m so sorry. Please don’t take it out on them,” She pleaded. The girl in question remained silent, though Jasper could feel her anger quickly diminish and give way to exhaustion and annoyance.

Colt chose that moment to get up and approach his sister, tentatively placing his hand in her shoulder.

The Cullens watched silently as she shrugged away from her brother’s touch, her claws and canines retracting. Her eyes slowly faded until they returned to their usual icy grey.

“Perhaps we should listen to what Carlisle has to say first,” Colt suggested out loud. Raven just shrugged, still too angry to speak.

Carlisle let out a relived breath.

”How about you come inside and we can all explain,” Colt nodded at Carlisle’s words and he began walking towards them, a reluctant Raven and Bella trailing behind him.

They all entered through the broken wall, Raven not minding the broken glass she stepped in with her bare feet while Bella carefully watched her footing.

She spotted Emmett and Rosalie, both nursing their wounds with the help of Esme, who eyed her warily. She smirked at them, her smugness apparent.

“Please, take a seat,” Carlisle spoke, gesturing to the unoccupied seats. The two siblings and the one human did, Colt giving a polite smile while Raven slouched in her seat, Bella taking the only seat left, conveniently next to Edward.

For a while, there was just awkward silence between them, until Rosalie broke it.

“What the hell are you?” She spat. They all tensed, worried Rosalie’s words would trigger another fight, but the girl in question smiled widely, grinning evilly.

”Funny you should word it like that,” she smirked, chuckling at an inside joke. Colton frowned at her.

”I’m a demon,”


	19. Chapter 19

It remained silent for a couple of seconds before someone reacted.   
  
“A demon?” Carlisle asked, looking unsure. 

“That’s what I said wasn’t it?” Raven snapped, ignoring the glare from her brother. The blond vampire nodded, the information somehow not settling into his mind. 

Those things just simply didn’t exist in his mind.   
  
“And are you a demon too?” Carlisle asked Colt. He nodded silently. 

“Well, I can’t say I was expecting that,” he chuckled awkwardly, trying to diffuse some of the tension. His family were on edge at being so close to two unknown threats. 

“We were just trying to keep our heads down and blend in. We don’t expose ourselves usually,” Colt spoke, offering a small smile to show Carlisle he appreciated his efforts.

It was clear out of both siblings, Colt was the softer and more approachable one. He was trying to be diplomatic and lift the tension.

“We understand. We’re trying to do the same thing. We were just worried that we had been exposed,” Carlisle spoke, offering a small smile.

”Exposed how?” Raven spoke. They didn’t miss the sharp edge to her tone and they all feared another fight would break out.

“Well, we heard that-,” Carlisle was interrupted by Bella, the human looking sheepish.

”When I told Edward I knew what he and his family were, I might have let it slip that you confirmed it,” At this, Raven raised a dark brow, her gaze falling on the blushing girl.

Edward tensed, ready to defend Bella but they were all pleasantly surprised at the sound of Raven laughing. It wasn’t a light giggle or a low chuckle, but a clear breathless chuckle that almost sounded hysterical.

”So you thought I had exposed you to the human?” She giggled. “I’m disappointed you think so low of me,” she tutted, almost scolding Carlisle like a child.

”Bella is just really perceptive and smart. I think I’m quite the secret keeper,” She smirked at Bella who only ducked her head, looking bashful.

”How long have you known we’re vampires?” Jasper spoke for the first time. 

“Since the moment I stepped into this wretched town. I could smell you all from miles away,” Carlisle frowned, turning to Edward who had his jaw clenched.

”Impossible, I would have heard it in your thoughts,” 

“No Edward you wouldn’t have because you can’t hear my real thoughts. That’s just a protective barrier I’ve put up,” The girl snapped, shutting up Edward. They could all feel her irritation rolling off her but Jasper didn’t dare meddle with her feelings.

“I’ve answered enough questions. I think we’ve established we want nothing to do with you and can live in peace,” she continued, giving Carlisle a pointed look.

“Yes of course. We won’t bother you as long as you promise not to expose us,” she rolled her eyes at Carlisle but nodded, standing up.

“Now excuse me while I try to fix my home that you destroyed trying to kill me,” she gave Rosalie and Emmett pointed glares. Colt stood up with her, preparing to leave before Esme stopped them.

“Perhaps you can stay with us?” She spoke up for the first time. She couldn’t help but feel bad for what they did to them. “As a sign of good faith and to make up for our actions,” she explained, feeling shy under both their intense gazes.

Colt was quick to respond.

“Of course Mrs Cullen, we would greatly appreciate it if it isn’t too much trouble,” Ignoring Rosalie’s glare and Edward’s protests, Esme beamed at them.

”Of course, I’ll have two guest rooms prepared for you, in the meantime would you like anything to eat or drink?” 

“No thank you,” Colt smiled. 

“I’m going out,” Raven announced, walking over the broken glass towards the gaping hole.

”Raven,” Colt warned. She rolled her eyes at him.

“I’ll be back,” And with that, she walked off into the woods, disappearing into the dark. 

“Will she be alright?” Bella asked. Colt chuckled but reassured the human. 

“She can handle herself,” He gave the worried faces of the Cullen’s a glance. “She’ll come around. She’s just hungry,” He smiled. 


	20. Chapter 20

This time, I purposefully took my time hunting. I ended up going to Canada with how far I roamed. I found myself a satisfying kill in the form of a serial rapist preying on young travellers. 

It made the news, since the lump of flesh I had left in the alley had been identified by his teeth and DNA. It was one of my more gruesome works but I had been sated and I felt fresher and more rejuvenated, ready to face whatever the Cullen’s threw my way. 

It was a week later that I had returned to the Cullen property, the gaping hole I had left long gone and replaced with a pristine glass wall, as if nothing had happened. 

My brother was the first to greet me, his relieved smile wide on his face.

”I take it went well?” I shrugged, not giving him a verbal response though I was sure he already knew how it went. I walked into the Cullen house, surprised to see Bella in the living room, all cosied up with Edward. 

She jumped up when she saw me, making towards me to hug me. She wrapped her arms tightly around my waist, something so uncharacteristically affectionate of her. I patted her back gently until she let go. 

“I thought you weren’t coming back,” she explained when she stepped back. 

“Not come back? Everything’s just starting to get interested,” I smirked at her, glancing at Edward pointedly. She blushed her usual beet red and I chuckled. 

“Where were you?” She asked once I sat down. 

“Vancouver,” 

“Did you walk there or something?” She asked. 

“Or something,” I answered vaguely. Alice entered that moment, giving me a large smile. Her smile didn’t last long since she grimaced at my outfit. Again, I had grabbed some random clothes from a charity shop after mine got ruined from my little game. 

“Catching up can wait Bella. I have to stop this fashion crime immediately,” I obliged and let the little pixie push me into the shower with a pile of clothes. 

I did have to admit that the water pressure and the silky clothes felt amazing and instantly made me relax even further. I was in a more amicable mood by the time I returned to the living room, Esme greeting me with a warm smile. Carlisle gave me a nod in greeting.

I sat down on the loveseat, Bella taking the open seat besides me, much to Edward’s chagrin. The rest of the Cullen’s seemed to materialise out of thin air and almost congregate around me. 

It quickly became clear to me that they wanted more of their questions about me answered. I gave Colt a questioning look, who only shrugged. 

“So Raven,” I turned to Carlisle, who sat on the armchair opposite me, Esme sitting on the arm rest besides him. “Your brother told us a little more about what you are,” I nodded. 

“I explained that we’re both hybrids and that this ain’t our true form,” Colt added as explanation. 

“Yes, I’m technically half human and Colt here is half witch,” I added. 

“That’s truly fascinating. And does being half human limit your strength or power?” I could see Carlisle slipping into his curious doctor role and strangely enough, I didn’t find his intrusive questions annoying. 

“If anything they magnify them,” I answered. 

“Interesting. Colt explained how his witch half limited the powers of his demon half and vice versa. I had just assumed you would have experienced something similar,” He gave me an apologetic smile. 

“To be fair, everyone thought that. But if anything, my human half allowed my demon half to grow and almost take over. I have the strength and power of a normal full demon,” 

“Then what makes you different?” Edward asked, clearly as curious as his farther figure. 

“The fact that I’m here,” I replied simply. 

“Yes, like I explained, Hell is technically in another dimension, one where Earth dwellers can’t access. Full demons are normally trapped in that dimension and if they were to escape into Earth, they wouldn’t have a solid form,” Colt continued. 

“So since we’re both half breeds, we can cross dimension easily and we don’t need to possess anything to have a physical body,” he finished. 

I could see they were all struggling to visualise what Colt was explaining so I stood up, my abrupt movement almost startling them. 

I focused my shadows onto my hands until they turned pitch black and the black mist started pouring out of them. I manipulated the mist to show what a demon in it’s shadow form would look. 

Demons, regardless of gender were all massive. Around eight foot tall with a generally muscular build. They generally had large tall horns that almost stood upright. Due to them being stuck in shadow form, not much of their details was visible. Only their glowing white eyes were. 

“This is what a demon would look should it escape to Earth. Although they look frightening should you see them, they aren’t able to do much without a body, hence why they possess,” I explained, amused at all their faces. 

It was clear they weren’t expecting an interactive presentation. 

Emmett reached out to touch the demon figure I had made and looked amazed as his hand passed through. 

“You said you aren’t in your true forms,” Edward spoke, his eyes jumping between me and Colt. My brother and I shared a look.

”Most of my appearance is a lie,” Colt shrugged. With a wave of his hand, he dropped his disguise and shifted into his natural form. 

His beer belly and rounded figure turned into the sharper one I knew it to be and his greying blonde hair was swapped for it natural smokey grey hair, a feature we both shared. Even I had to admit, it took me a second to get used to his change. 

“What the fuck?” Emmett exclaimed, surveying my brother. 

“Now we look related right?” I asked, swinging my arm around his shoulder. My brother and I shared the most features out of all our siblings. From our hair to our grey eyes and deep tan skin. We also shared the same sharp features.

Quite a good looking duo, if I said so myself.

“So what are you hiding then? Are you secretly a guy?” I rolled my eyes at Rosalie and with a wave of my hand, I revealed what I had been hiding. 

I had two horns on my head, growing from just above my ears. They were completely black and ridged, growing upwards and curving towards each other before curling away at the tips.

They weren’t as long as full demons but they were around seven inches. I was one of the only children to have horns and they were a symbol of status.

I also had some marking on my face in ancient Enochian. They were all symbols of status and power, giving away to my true age.

“Oh wow,” Bella broke the silence. 

I looked around them at their reactions and caught Jasper’s eye. He stood right at the back of the room, in the corner and his face was mainly expressionless. I looked away, not wanting to see if he was perturbed or disturbed by my true nature. 

I noticed Alice had hardly spared me a glance and was uncharacteristically quiet, and I was surprised to note that she was staring at my brother, who was staring right back, just as intensely. 

Damn. It really looks like I’ll be sticking around for a while. 


	21. Chapter 21

I wasn’t sure what to make of this clear attraction and energy between Colt and Alice. The rest of the Cullen’s seemed as surprised as I was but realisation crossed their faces. They all watched them both with secret smiles so it seemed I was the only confused person. 

It was quite fascinating to watch how they gravitated towards one another, until Alice was tucked into his side and Colt had his arm around her, chin resting on her head. 

I had to admit, they looked good together, like two complementary pieces that fit together. 

“I always wondered why I couldn’t see you coming,” Alice smiled up at him. It felt odd watching them, as if I was invading a private moment. 

“I had to mask myself to hide,” he murmured back, pressing a kiss to her hair.

”Is he your mate?” Bella asked, breaking the moment. Alice blinked, as did Colt, as if now realising where they were. My brother did something unusual, and blushed. Alice let out a giggle, looking a little embarrassed herself. 

“Yes. I saw him in a vision when Raven decided to come back after her hunt,” She explained. Her attention shifted from the human to me, giving me a grateful smile. 

“I should thank you Raven. If you hadn’t decided to come back, Colt here wouldn’t have shown himself,” I felt uncomfortable with her thanks, considering I did next to nothing. 

I had never been the cause of someone’s happiness. Only their misfortune and demise. 

“Uh you’re welcome?” I replied, my confused tone making it sound more like a question. “Also, what’s a mate?” I asked. 

I could guess the meaning of this mate thing, but I was unsure on how serious it was. Vampire customs were beyond me since I didn’t really make it a point to interact with them much. 

Alice cleared her throat a little awkwardly, glancing at Jasper who looked even more tense than before. Everyone in the room looked awkward, as if I was missing something very obvious and I was quickly becoming annoyed. 

“Well, a mate is what vampires consider their one true love,” Colt spoke. “Alice is my soulmate,” he explained. I nodded, giving him a small smile and a pat on the shoulder. 

“Congratulations Brother. You deserve happiness,” I ruffled his hair playfully, something I’d do a lot when he was younger. He swatted my hand away but gave me a serious look. 

“You do too,” I furrowed my brow, a little surprised but shrugged it off. 

“So now what?” I asked, changing the topic. 

“I think we should get to know each other since we’ll be sisters. In more ways than one,” Alice giggled. Again, she glanced at Jasper, who had yet to say anything. I could feel his gaze burning onto me the entire time so I decided to hide away my horns and markings. 

I sat back down besides Bella, in my more human form. 

“Okay, shoot,” I gestured for her to ask away. 

“How old are you? Where were you born?” She looked at Colt as she asked, so he answered first. 

“I was born in Colchester England, somewhere during the early 1100s,” Clearly, everyone was surprised by his answer and I snorted. Colt had a youthful look about him in his natural form, easily passing for a teenager, hardly adult looking. 

“That’s even older than Carlisle,” Emmett exclaimed, guffawing. 

“That’s truly fascinating,” Carlisle marvelled. Colt shrugged, not enjoying the attention. “Raven is older than me,” he added. I rolled my eyes at him but answered their inquisitive looks with a nod. 

“When were you born then?” Bella asked. 

“Late 1600s, early 1500s. I was born in modern day Iraq,” It took them a moment to understand what I meant, Bella still confused, until Emmett exclaimed incredulously. 

“So you were born 1500 BC? In Ancient Mesopotamia?” His reaction was comical, making me chuckle. He turned to the brooding blind vampire in the corner, smirking at him. “Dude, why didn’t you tell me you were into older women?” The big oaf nudged Jasper who scowled back at him. I was distracted from their interaction by Carlisle. 

“We must be children to you then?” Carlisle chuckled, looking between Colt and I with intrigue. 

“In demon years, I’m hardly a teenager. Colt here is still a child,” My brother scowled. 

“I have some ancient tomes I can’t translate. I would appreciate it if you could have a look at them with me sometime,” I nodded at Carlisle, accepting the request. 

“As much fun as this was, I think there’s something very obvious we haven’t discussed,” I spoke. They all looked at me confused. 

“What are your intentions with Bella?”


	22. Chapter 22

The silence that stretched was answer enough. Bella had her lips pursed, twisted downwards into a frown but I could see the determined glint in her eye. Edward just looked down, shoulders hunched as he pointedly avoided the gazes of everyone. 

“Surely you know how dangerous it is for a human to remain amongst the supernatural,” I looked at Carlisle, the obvious leader of them bunch.   
  
“Yes we are aware of the...implications,” He shot his son a worried look as he spoke. 

“Why? Do you plan on going to the Volturi?” Rosalie sneered. I raised a brow at her but brushed off her icy attitude. 

“I’m not sure who this Volturi you speak of is, but I’m more concerned with the rather obvious threat: her blood,” Edward hung his head further, looking even more hunched over than before. I felt sorry for the boy, no doubt he was swimming in his self loathing. 

“The longer you spend around each other, the more complacent you’ll all become and then an inevitable accident will occur endangering your lives,” I kept it vague so I wasn’t pointing any fingers at who I thought would slip up. It was a collective effort at the end of the day. 

“We haven’t discussed any details yet since everything is happening so fast,” Carlisle interjected. The topic was uncomfortable and he was clearly trying to ease the tension. “Of course, its an important discussion we should all have, but there’s no harm in waiting until everyone is more comfortable with each other,” 

I decided to take the bait and just nod, dropping the topic for now. 

There was a lull in the conversation, everyone probably reeling from all the information and the events. Colt particularly was antsy, conflicted and torn. 

“Go,” I murmured to him, gesturing to Alice with a nod. His shoulders sagged with relief and he shot me a grateful smile. Alice came up to me and squeezed me in a hug before flitting to Colt’s side. I watched bemusedly as they walked arm in arm out the back door and into the forest. 

I turned back to the room and noticed that most of the couples were gone. Carlisle and Esme had disappeared, as had Rosalie and Emmett. Jasper was nowhere to be seen either.

Edward and Bella remained, once again snuggled besides each other. Edward kept glancing at me, his lips twisting and frowning, as if he wanted to say something. Bella was simply staring at him, a hand on his chest, but she glanced at me too, looking just as worried. 

“You can spit it out,” I sighed, slumping down onto the armchair Carlisle had just vacated. 

“Right, sorry,” He muttered. I let him gather his thoughts for a moment, just waiting for him to speak up again. “You’re a demon, from Hell. Does that make Heaven a real place too?” Realisation struck me as I finally understood where he was going.

I’ve dealt with many religious people across my life, almost all of them having a similar reaction to my presence and being. 

“Yes, Heaven is a real place. I’m not of angel blood, so I can’t enter. Much like demons spawn from Hell, angels are created in Heaven,” I explained. Although I kept my words light and simple, the frown on his face only deepened. 

“What’s bothering you Edward?” I asked softly. The poor guy looked like he had seen a ghost. 

“So am I really a soulless monster destined to rot in hell?” I tried to refrain from laughing at the young vampire, but I couldn’t help the breathless chuckle that did escape. 

“Edward, you are the farthest thing from a soulless monster,” I could see the protest in his eyes so I stood up and gestured for him to stand up. He did so reluctantly, looking even more wary as I approached him.

I gently placed my hand on his chest, softly using my power to feel for the life energy within him. It wasn’t as easy to reach than it would have been on a human, but I eventually felt it. I tugged at it a little, bringing it closer to the surface of his skin so he could feel it’s power tingling, before letting it go back to settle in his chest. 

I dropped my hand, smiling up at his shocked expression. 

“That, Edward, was your soul, sitting right in your chest. It’s been there all along, from the day you were born, and will be there till the day you perish,” He sat back down in a daze, so without him asking, I continued on explaining. 

“Heaven and Hell isn’t as black and white as you think. Yes, unfortunate evil souls are punished there, but you and your whole family aren’t nearly evil enough to even pass through to the gates of Hell. You have nothing on Hitler,” I gave him smile at the end, which he half heartedly returned. 

“Hell can be nice too. I have a beautiful palace there that I miss,” He nodded, looking deep in thought. I could tell he wanted some alone time with his thoughts and with Bella, so I spared them and decided to retire to my room. 

I didn’t hear the footsteps following me and I was more surprised than I wanted to admit at Jasper’s appearance in my room.

He stood there for a second, his eyes roaming over me, lingering in certain places longer than others and leaving a trail of heat on my skin where they gazed.

”I’m sorry to disturb you but I would just like to apologise,” he cleared his throat. He stood stiff, his back straight and arms clasped behind him.

“Whatever for?” I asked, turning to face him properly.

”For being a coward,” His words surprised me because I wasn’t even sure what exactly he was talking about. The kiss maybe?

“Jasper, you’re many things, but a coward isn’t one of them,” The softness of my tone was uncharacteristic of me yet I somehow couldn’t find myself to care. Something about this man just brought it out of me.   
  
However, my words seemed to do the opposite of what I intended as his eyes darkened and a small growl left his lips.

”With all due respect Raven, you don’t know me or what I’ve done. I’m a coward in every sense of the word,” I could tell this was a sensitive topic for him so I didn’t bother refute his words.

I walked over to the bed, sitting in the middle, legs crossed, my body still facing him.

”Okay then Jasper, why don’t you tell me,” I asked, tilting my head at him as I leant back on my hands that were splayed on the mattress behind me.

I could tell he was fighting with himself as he watched me, his gaze roaming over me.

”Enlighten me,” I challenged, a smirk teasing my lips. He sighed, his tense shoulders slumping. He shuffled towards the bed, sitting on the edge, an awkward distance away from me.

I ignored the sudden urge I had to close the distance between us and let silence fall over us as he sorted through his thoughts.

”How much do you know about vampires?” He asked.

”Enough,” I answered.

”Well, where should I begin?” He chuckled humourlessly to himself and I didn’t interrupt. “I didn’t have the same upbringing as the rest of my family. Asides from Alice, everyone else was turned by Carlisle,” That explained why they were all so loyal to each other and attached. The bond between sire and vampire was quite unique and almost unbreakable.

”I was turned in 1864, at the age of nineteen by a psychotic vampire. Her name was Maria and along with her sisters Netty and Lucy, she was the leader of the Mexican coven. She sensed something special about me and changed me to join her newborn army.

They were very common in the south. Constant brutal battles for territory. Maria won them all. She was smart, careful, and she had me,” he paused.

He was gazing into the distance, for once his composed mask off. His emotions played on his face, raw and visible for me to see.

”For years I was a mindless killing machine, a weapon and toy for her to use as she pleased. She even had me believe she loved me,” he scoffed to himself.

”I knew what I was doing was wrong, that all my efforts were in vain. One day an army bigger and more powerful than us would come along and obliterate us without hesitation.

Then one day my second in command fell in love with a newborn. She wasn’t skilled or anything so I was tasked with killing her once her year was up. He tried hiding his feelings but I caught on.

A couple of days before I would kill her, he came up to me and told me that he loved her and that he wouldn’t let anyone harm her. He begged me to spare them both so I did. He told me they planned on running away at night and that asked if I should join them,” he paused.

”I refused because I didn’t want to leave the camp. It was the only life I knew, the only thing I was good at. I didn’t want to venture into the world because I was afraid I would have no place or purpose in it,” He sighed.

”But you’re here aren’t you?” I asked. He glanced at me, before looking away quickly.

“It was only after Maria’s coven was nearly destroyed by another that I fled. I found my friend and his mate but I felt like a third wheel so I travelled until I stumbled upon Alice who led me to the Cullens,” He shrugged.

”If that army hadn’t attacked us, I would have never left because I was afraid to venture out alone,” his shoulders slumped in defeat and an uneasy feeling settled in my stomach seeing him so upset.

I pursed my lips, no longer able to handle the distance. I slid closer to him, sitting on my folded legs, my knees touching the side of his leg.

I reached a hand up, brushing it through his curls, marvelling at how the golden locks felt wonderful against my skin. The silky strands were softer than they looked. He stiffened besides me, and just as I was about to withdraw my hand did he relax a little.

For a while it was quiet, with me running my hand through his hair, my nails grazing his scalp as he slowly melted in my embrace.

“That’s not all you know,” he murmured, breaking the silence. I hummed, continuing my ministrations. 

“I didn’t stand up to my family, even when I knew they were wrong,” he didn’t explain so I I used my free hand to turn his face towards me.

“What do you mean?” I asked. If he was going to get this of his chest he had to be more exact and precise about what exactly was haunting him.

”When they wanted to kill you because they thought you were a human that knew too much,” he explained with a small groan.

“We all voted and like a coward I just ran away. It was then I found you in the forest. I didn’t want you to die but I was too afraid to say what I wanted to say,” he whispered. His topaz eyes bore into mine, watching my reaction, probably expecting to find judgement and anger.

I shook my head softly at him, a small smile quirking the corners of my lips.

”If you’re worried about me hating you, don’t be. I don’t hold it against any of you. You all thought you were protecting yourselves,” I stated.

“And as for you being a coward, I think that’s the incorrect word you’re using. I think what you’re being is cautious. Prudent,” I continued. He furrowed his brow at me and I drew my hands back from his face and hair.

“It’s only natural for people to want security. And that’s what you had at the army. You had control and could predict every possible outcome and thus, mitigate all risk and uncertainty,” I expressed.

“You’re logical Jasper and when you were unsure of whether to follow your friend or not, you thought through your options and calculated that it was the better option for you to stay,”

”And you guys thought I was a threat and despite a small part of you caring for the safety of a supposed innocent, your logical side won the argument again,” I finished.

His unblinking gaze remained on me, his face hard and unreadable, yet I could tell he was considering my words.

”You favour logic above anything else and if you feel that’s a problem then that’s something you’ll have to figure out yourself,” I added my trademark shrug at the end, suddenly feeling awkward for having such an intimate talk with a man I hardly knew.

I mean technically I’d done more intimate things with men I knew less than Jasper, but with him, everything felt so much more personal. So much more real.

“Do you think it’s a problem? Favouring logic?” He asked. I sighed, blowing a lock of my hair from my face.

“Not always but sometimes it can prevent you from growing, exploring outside your comfort zone, missing chances,” Silence fell over us again, my words hanging heavy in the air.

Suddenly I felt tired and I frowned, shuffling back on the bed and laying on the pillow. I didn’t bother slipping under the covers, feeling warm already.

“Shall I leave?” Jasper asked, suddenly standing up.

”No, you don’t have to. I enjoy your company,” I admitted, closing my eyes to avoid looking at his face. Would that be weird? Asking him to stay while I slept?

He sat back down at the edge of the bed, besides my feet, the area dipping with his weight.

“Goodnight Raven,” he whispered. I felt the ghost of a touch on my leg and I mumbled out a reply before darkness soon claimed me.


	23. Chapter 23

Colt and Alice were still missing when I woke up several hours later. Bella had also returned home so Edward was lingering around his piano, brooding as usual. 

Jasper was also missing, much to my dissatisfaction, so I was a little lost on what to do.

Esme was kind enough to distract me with a plate of food. Unfortunately, I had finished it all too quickly for my liking so I was once again bored and unsure of what to do. I left the kitchen, wandering through to the living room, surprised to see Emmett there along with Rosalie. They both approached me, stopping a couple feet away from me.

The blonde was still bitter, no doubt, from our little fight and sneered at me, though she did move ever so slightly closer to her mate.

Normally, such a display of fear would make me smile, but the faint flutter of guilt in my stomach surprised me. 

The blonde wore a scarf around her neck, hiding the scars my claws had made on her otherwise pristine marble skin. She probably had more on her body but I couldn’t see since she was covering almost all skin, which I knew was so unlike the otherwise confident woman. 

I decided to speak first. 

“Rosalie I am sorry for any harm I caused,” I began. Judging by way her sneer fell into a slight shocked expression, I could tell she was surprised. 

“As with you Emmett, I apologise for tearing your arm off,” I turned to the behemoth of a man and he gave me small dimpled smile, pulling his mate into his arms. 

“Is your arm healed?” I asked. 

“It’s fine,” he waved off. I knew the scarring would be worse since I completely tore off his limb and it had to fuse back together. His animal diet didn’t help either. 

“Can I see?” He looked to be about to protest but seemed to change his mind halfway. He rolled up his sleeve and I could see the thick pale scar, the skin around the joint of his shoulder raised. 

I turned back to Rosalie, who was oddly silent.

”Can I see your neck?” My question seemed to snap her out of whatever trance she had been in. 

“Why? So you can rip into me again? I’m more than ready for whatever you’re planning,” she hissed. 

“So I can heal it,” I stated, rolling my eyes at her unnecessary display of aggression. Not bothering to give her time, I stepped closer to her and pulled away the silk scarf around her neck.

She had three deep scrapes on her neck, the lines short but deep enough to carve into her skin. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been and I knew I could have done much worse. 

“Drink my blood,” I ordered, thrusting my wrist into her face. 

She stepped back a little, confused and slightly disgusted. I rolled my eyes at her. 

“Both of you, do it. It will get rid of the scars,” I shoved my other wrist into Emmett’s face, who looked just as bewildered as his mate. 

I could tell the other members of the house were just as surprised and alarmed by the way they all appeared in the living room. 

Still no sign of Jasper though. I wondered what he was doing. 

Shaking away my thoughts, I bit into each of my wrists, drawing blood and holding them back up to the two vampires. The smell of my blood in the air was enough to entice them and once Emmett had eagerly clamped down, Rosalie followed her mate and greedily began sucking on my other wrist. 

I couldn’t help wincing from pain when they both bit down harder and their sucking became more forceful. Deciding they had enough, I ripped my arms back from their clamped jaws, tearing and mangling my flesh in the process. 

For a split second, I could see they were about to attack me and try to drink more blood, still lost to their beasts but the buzzing sensation of my blood in their system startled them out of their bloodthirsty haze. 

“What did you do? Did you poison us?” Rosalie spat, her mouth dark with my blood. She was looking down at her hands as they hummed with life and power. 

We all watched in fascination as the deep cuts on her neck began knitting back together miraculously and smoothing out until it was no longer visible. 

Emmett’s thick scar had also smoothed out and the colour had evened back into his usual pale tone, with no evidence of it ever being there. 

“It’s gone,” Rosalie breathed, having moved over to a mirror. A delicate had ghosted over her neck as she seemed transfixed by her own reflection. “I’m beautiful again,” 

Emmett moved towards her, brushing her hair back over her shoulder and pressing a kiss to it. “You always were, Baby,” 

The moment felt oddly intimate and I suddenly felt like I was intruding on a rather private matter. I looked away and sat down on the seat I had occupied yesterday. 

My mind wandered over to Jasper. As if reading my mind, he materialised into the room, hair wind blown and eyes wild. I couldn’t help admire how he looked in that moment, his pitch black eyes finding mine so quickly and swallowing me whole.

Edward clearing his throat awkwardly snapped me out of the moment and I looked back to the leader.

”How did you do that?” Carlisle asked, breaking the otherwise silence. 

“Something I discovered. My blood can have healing properties,” I shrugged. 

“That’s truly remarkable,” I nodded distractedly, only now realising how long it had been since I last healed someone. The last person I had tried to save didn’t make it. None of my powers were enough. 

A dull ache settled over my chest and my frown deepened. 

I had failed her but I would keep the promise I made to her no matter what. 

“So can you heal any scar?” Edward asked, sitting much closer to me than before. Before I could answer, Rosalie gasping grabbed our attention and everyone turned to the woman. 

She looked away from the mirror and at us, her eyes no longer a tawny colour, but a bright and fiery orange. The colour of her irises danced with swirling shades of red and yellow, making them glow.

Emmett shared the same fiery gaze and everyone looked astonished. 

“I wouldn’t sweat it. Wears off soon,” I waved off Carlisle’s concerned gaze. 

“Do you have any other hidden talents?” Edward asked, looking very much like the eager young boy he was. 

I smirked at him. 

“I have plenty,” he looked frustrated when I didn’t choose to elaborate and I chuckled at his exasperated expression.

I held out my palm out, opening my fingers. A small flame danced on my fingers, flicking and dancing. They all stared at it, fascinated and I smirked, manipulating the flame into a small horse that galloped around my hand. 

I could feel Jasper move closer to me, until he was standing besides my seat, leaning on the arm rest. I looked up at him, only to realise his gaze was already trained on mine.

Without breaking eye contact, I gently grabbed his hand, holding his palm upward. I let the tiny fire horse move from my palm to his, the flame creature not burning his otherwise highly flammable flesh. 

“How?” Edward asked from my other side. 

“I control the fire,” I answered simply. I let the flame horse die and we were all left in silence again. 

“What else do you have up your sleeves?” Edward continued. It seemed the red head was getting quite comfortable with me and growing braver by the second.

Oddly, I didn’t mind his otherwise demanding tone. 

I decided to freak him out. 

“I can read your minds,” The look of horror on Edward’s face was quite funny and I laughed at his expression. The other members of the family looked perturbed but not nearly as worried as Edward, granted they were used to their privacy being violated. 

“Jesus, how many mind readers do we need?” Emmett remarked. “Tell me, is Edward’s mind filthier than he likes to admit?” 

I let out a loud surprised laugh, from both Emmett’s comment and Edward’s face. 

“I won’t answer that question,” I shook my head, once I had calmed down into a light giggle. 

“How does it work? Can you automatically hear thoughts like me?” Edward asked, once he had gotten over his initial shock. 

“No, like I said I can read minds whereas you can hear thoughts. I don’t hear the shallow thoughts of people, rather I can delve deeply into the psyche of people and find out their deepest desires and thoughts that even they might not be aware of,” 

I think now they thought Edward’s mind reading was nothing. No doubt, mine was more disturbing. 

“It’s very useful. It makes manipulation and mind control much easier,” 

“Mind control?!” Emmett looked ready to pass out. 

“I’m a demon, what did you expect?” I retorted. That shut him up. I stood up abruptly, startling some of the members and I decided to get rid of this new tension in the room.

”It also helps me do this,” I stated. I walked over towards Esme, who despite her wariness, gave me a warm smile.

My eyes began glowing orange for a split second before turning a soft baby blue. My long dark hair shortened into a stylish platinum blond and I grew taller. My body hardened and turned significantly more masculine.

My silk pyjamas morphed into a light blue dress shirt, neatly tucked into black slacks. My skin lightened into a creamy tone as my lips thinned and my jaw sharpened. 

It only took me a couple of seconds but everyone watched on in silence. 

I stepped closer to Esme, gently grabbing her hand and pressing a soft kiss to the back of it. If she could, she would have been blushing as she looked rather flustered, glancing at her mate besides her who held her tightly.

I looked at Carlisle, smiling at him. His eyes ran over my body, looking very impressed.

I had transformed into a human version of him, something Esme had always wished to see. My skin was softer and I had a rosy tint to my pale tone as well as blue eyes, something Carlisle had lost to vampirism.

”So what do you think?” I asked in his smooth voice. 

I looked around the room, enjoying their gobsmacked expressions.

Alice and Colt decided to enter the house at that moment, wrapped in each other. I greeted them. 

“Ah Dear Alice, so nice of you to finally join us,” I exaggerated the English accent a little and the tiny pixie just giggled as the real Carlisle snorted behind me. 

“Raven, I see you’re already showing off,” my brother smirked. I smirked back at him, turning back to the Cullens.

”So you transformed into Carlisle completely?” Emmett asked. I nodded. “Does that mean you now have a di-,” Rosalie slapped the back of his head, cutting off his last word which I could guess. 

“Ow Rose, it’s a valid question. How does she know what it looks like-,” Another slap to the back of his head made us all laugh.

”You’d rather not know what’s down my pants Emmett,” I giggled in my own voice. 

I decided to shift one more time. 

I switched my lean physique into a more muscular build, growing a few inches taller. My blond hair turned into shorter darker curls as I switched my formal clothes into some jeans and a muscle tee. I smiled at Emmett, showing off my new dimples. 

“Hey, wanna wrestle bro?” I asked in a much deeper voice. 

He remained silent, eyeing me up and down and growing disturbed. 

“Not cool man. So not cool,”


End file.
